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Why public trust matters for agricultural sector?

One of Saskatchewan’s most influential women Cheryl Jolly-Nagel gave an inspiring speech during the Women of Today Awards ceremony on April 17.
Cheryl Jolly-Nagel
Farmer, speaker and advocate Cheryl Jolly-Nagel talked about the importance of communication between producers and consumers at the Women of Today Awards. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

One of Saskatchewan’s most influential women Cheryl Jolly-Nagel gave an inspiring speech during the Women of Today Awards ceremony on April 17.

Coming from a small town in Saskatchewan she explored the world first, to later come back to farming and dedicate herself to bringing positive changes to the agricultural sector.

“I apparently had absorbed a lot more information about growing food and living on the farm than I’ve given myself credit for,” said Jolly-Nagel during her presentation. “I headed home with my heart full of pride for where I had come from, and the determination to find myself a career in agriculture.”

Not only she has found herself in farming, but she also dedicates a lot of time and energy to improving the sector. Through her own example and by working with people in industry, Jolly-Nagel encourages sharing a positive message about the sustainable food growing across the country. And a lot of her work starts at home.

“I’m proud to say that these girls (Jolly-Nagel’s two daughters) know a lot about what we grow, and not only how to identify (crops) in the field, but most importantly, what the product is in the end. They know that durum wheat makes noodles, and those little black canola seeds make canola oil. And this year for the first time in 10 years we are going to grow malt barley again. Last time we grew that, Claire referred to the crop as ‘beer for daddy,’” joked Jolly-Nagel.

Talking in front of many of the most influential Estevan women Jolly-Nagel explained why she got involved with promoting stories of agricultural success. 

“I really wanted to advocate changes in government policy that affected the business of farming. Back then farming was not a popular industry for young people and Saskatchewan was not a popular place for young people to live… Today I sit on a number of boards that aim to promote positive changes in the business of agriculture both domestically and internationally. Here in Estevan, your community is greatly dependent on industries like agriculture, like oil and gas. And no doubt you are feeling the pinch of this downturn economy. And it was that same feeling that drove me towards the career in farm policy work several decades ago,” Jolly-Nagel said.

As an international director on the board for the Global Famer Network, Jolly-Nagel advocates for global trade and acceptance of science-based technology in agriculture.

She works to make sure that the next generation will be proud of the “noble heritage” of farming, and part of this heritage is acknowledging the role that farmers must play in the public conversation around food today.

“It will be my legacy to pass along to these girls the joys of farming and the important role that agriculture plays in our society. I’ve taught these girls that princesses can also drive tractors. And I will teach them that the modern agricultural tools that we have at our disposal today are a privilege, and without proper communication with government and with the public, there is potential that we could lose those modern agricultural tools,” said Jolly-Nagel.

Industries like agriculture and energy are under public scrutiny and with it come government regulations that affect the farming industry. So Jolly-Hagel encourages farmers to speak up about what they do at their farms and share the positive story Saskatchewan has about growing food because the public doesn’t trust the agricultural sector as it did before.

“The public will trust farmers to grow food as long as what we are doing aligns with their values and expectations. So when the public hears or watches an animal-abuse video go viral on Facebook, do you think that aligns with their values and expectations? It does not,” she said.

When people have seen too much of that negativity, they start to pull back their trust. And when the public doesn’t trust farmers to do what they need to do, they enforce regulations.

“I’m working really hard trying to rebuild this trust by telling our story,” Jolly-Nagel said.

And with contemporary public interest in food being very high, while the level of confidence in the food system constantly descending, this work becomes really challenging. So through her work with the Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan Jolly-Nagel tries to decrease the level of frustration associated with food and rebuild the positive relationships between consumers and producers.